Brenda Lee Reacts To Iconic Holiday Hit Surpassing 1 Billion Streams

In 2023, music legend Brenda Lee earned the title of honorary Queen of Christmas when her timeless 1958 hit, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” claimed the top spot on the Billboard chart, dethroning Mariah Carey’s perennial holiday anthem, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Originally released when Lee was just 13 years old, the song was penned by Johnny Marks, known for writing other holiday classics like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas.”

Over the decades, Brenda Lee’s jazzy vocals and the song’s upbeat rhythm have cemented it as a seasonal staple.

Now, as the 2024 holiday season gets underway, Lee seems ready to reclaim her festive crown.

On December 10, it was announced that “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify, making it the first holiday song by a female country artist to achieve this milestone. “I was dumbfounded when I heard,” Lee told PEOPLE Magazine. “I can’t even think that high, much less say it!”

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also recognized Brenda Lee for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” achieving seven-times platinum status, signifying over 7 million copies sold. It remains the second-highest certified Christmas song in history, trailing only Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Although “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” sold steadily throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, its status as a beloved cross-generational anthem wasn’t solidified until the 1990s. Since then, its popularity has only grown.

“Somebody called me one day and they said, 'Brenda, have you seen that new movie?' I said, ‘No, which one?’ And they said, ‘'Home Alone.' Your song is all over it.’ And that's really when it started," Lee expressed.

In 2023, Brenda Lee released a new music video for the holiday classic, featuring cameos from country icons Tanya Tucker and Trisha Yearwood. This year, she introduced a special seven-inch vinyl edition, including a limited-edition pink version available at Target.

Brenda Lee, like so many others, finds it hard to believe the holiday season has arrived once again. “It seems to slip up on you before you know it!” she shares with a laugh. Amid the festivities, she hopes to carve out some time for her favorite pastime. “I’m a ferocious reader,” she says, and she’s also looking forward to reconnecting with loved ones.

“I’m kind of old-fashioned,” Lee explains. “I like to have my family and all my friends come over. We celebrate and have a good time.” The celebrations revolve around her “old-fashioned” Christmas tree. “I always have a live, green tree. I like the smell of it. I have ornaments from the time my kids were little. We always put those on along with the new ones that we add every year.”

With Christmas and her birthday both falling in December, Lee gets a double dose of wishes. This year, she’s hoping for something far more meaningful than material gifts. “I want people not to suffer and to have a good life,” she reflects. “Our world moves so fast and furious. I think it bypasses kindness. I just want our world to be better.”

Released in 1994, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" first achieved significant chart success, reaching number six on the Billboard charts and number two in both the UK and Japan. In the years since, the emergence of streaming platforms has propelled the song to extraordinary new heights, solidifying its position as one of the best-selling digital singles in history.

"I was working on it by myself ... on this little Casio keyboard and writing down words and thinking about, 'What do I think of at Christmas? What do I love? What do I want? What do I dream of?'" Carey said when she celebrated the song's 30th anniversary. "And that's what started it."

With an impressive 16 million copies sold worldwide, the song has topped charts in over 30 countries during the holiday season, earning its place as a timeless Christmas classic. Meanwhile, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.